The ‘supermarketgate’ battle ended in the Court of Appeal with a ruling by Lord Justice Sullivan.

He had been given the task of deciding whether the Manea based company, which is now completing a Tesco store in Chatteris, could appeal against an earlier judgement by the High Court in respect of their proposals for Whittlesey.

That court had ruled an application for a judicial review of Fenland Council’s planning committee’s decisions were “without merit”, a view supported by Lord Justice Sullivan.

In his judgement today he said the sole ground of appeal - “the rationality challenge” -although presented in a number of permutations hinged on Harrier’s contractual arrangements with Tesco over a site in Station Road.

He said it had been acknowledged that Whittlesey could only sustain one supermarket of this size and it was a case for the planning committee to decide what weight should be given to such arrangements.

Lord Justice Sullivan said that the committee gave “little weight because of the deliverability issues” that had been thrown up in a consultant’s report. As the planning committee had been advised, he said, contracts can be varied for commercial reasons but in any case it was “pre-eminently a matter of planning judgement.

“With the benefit of hindsight subsequent events may prove that the committee’s judgement on this issue was wrong but that is a very far cry from establishing an arguable case that the committee’s judgement when granting permission was irrational”.

Developer Bruce Smith, who had submitted the application for the Eastrea Road site when Sainsbury’s will now build, received the news at his holiday hotel in Barbados.

“To say I am delighted is an understatement,” he said. “This is excellent news for Sainsbury’s and terrific news for the people of Whittlesey who had campaigned long and hard to support a Sainsbury’s bid.”

Mr Smith will also oversee development of a country park and a small commercial/industrial complex as part of the overall project.

Dear M Sears
You have now lost yet another appeal to try to force the majority to bend to your will. Will you now accept that Sainsbury's can, should and will build in Whittlesey and that Tesco will not (at least not on the site that is earmarked for Sainsbury's!)?
Tesco of course, still (as far as I am aware) hold the rights to build on land at Station Road - presumably, you will now transfer all of your efforts to commencing construction on this site as soon as possible.
Please allow me on behalf of the majority in Whittlesey to offer my thanks for causing the (nearly three year) delay in allowing the new (and desperately required) supermarket and country park.
Your ability to comprehend the term "you have lost" will, I hope now be explained to you in simple terms by your (no doubt) very expensive legal team preferably in words of as few syllables as possible to ensure that you can FINALLY accept defeat!

Thank heaven that Lord Justice Sullivan has found in favour of the Sainsbury Country Park project. Again Harrier have in no uncertain terms been told their appeal is without substance, and the people of Whittlesey will rejoice in the judge's decision.